Gerber
grant funds Franciscan St. Francis Health neonatologist-led research
 |
| PAUL WINCHESTER |
INDIANAPOLIS – Do
commonly used chemicals in the environment imprint our babies’
DNA? Can they be linked to premature birth, birth defects and other
adverse outcomes? Can they induce -- as they do in animals -- diseases which appear later in life and are heritable across multiple generations?
That’s the focus of a
study under way at Franciscan St. Francis
Health-Indianapolis.
The research is made possible by a $295,000 grant from the Gerber Foundation to
Franciscan Alliance Foundation St. Francis Health.
Paul D.
Winchester, MD, medical director of neonatal intensive care unit at Franciscan
St. Francis, and Michael Skinner, PhD, professor of molecular biology at the
Washington State University, seek to determine if maternal exposure to these
environmental chemicals may change human genes in subtle but serious ways in
utero and contribute to preterm births, birth defects, reduced fetal growth,
and the onset of adult diseases.
The study
will also attempt to determine if the negative DNA imprinting changes seen in
animals exposed to environmental contaminants are also measurable in humans.
“If
animal findings regarding epigenetic imprinting translate into humans, we
expect a groundbreaking transformation in our knowledge of disease prevention
and environmental risks,” said Winchester, who also is professor of clinical
pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and widely published for his
research.
While
virtually all pregnant women in the United States now test positive for
the presence of insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides, very little data
exists related to these commonly found environmental contaminants and their
impact on the DNA of developing human fetuses.
Established
in 1952, the mission of the Fremont, Mich.-based Gerber
Foundation is to
enhance the quality of life of infants and young children in nutrition, care,
and development. The primary focus of foundation grant-making is on health and
nutritional issues affecting infants and young children.
Franciscan Alliance
Foundation St. Francis Health is a not-for-profit, philanthropic organization established
in 1995 for the purpose of raising funds in support of the programs and
services provided by Franciscan St. Francis Health.
